Leonard Hope Email & Phone Number

Auckland, Nz

Wellington & Wairarapa, New Zealand

• Selected as one of 533 world-class entrepreneurs and investors, representing 40 nationalities on a journey to create positive impact for the world through mission-based projects, The Edmund Hillary Fellowship brings world class entrepreneurs and investors together in New Zealand to catalyze positive change for the world. This work is motivated by the urgent social and environmental challenges the world faces, but also the unprecedented opportunity the tools of entrepreneurship provide. We are building a community to nurture creativity at the intersection of diverse fields. Fellows create an environment where they support each other create greater impact, and learn and evolve together.

Auckland, New Zealand And Seattle, Wa

• The only registered patent attorney in a four lawyer in-house legal department supporting a $2B USD global company with multiple fast-growing businesses.• Managed a global patent and registered design portfolio of more than 500 assets, including defining global filing and prosecution strategies, identifying and selecting innovations for new filings, overseeing drafting and prosecution by outside counsel, and renewals.• Oversaw a global portfolio of more than 2000 trademarks, including reviewing trademark search results, working with product teams to define global trademark filing strategies, and overseeing global trademark filing and prosecution by outside counsel.• Supported the in-house legal team and outside counsel on contentious IP matters in the U.S. and Europe.• Provided freedom-to-operate advice to internal clients for a wide variety of products and technologies, including consumer goods, toys, and cutting-edge automated housing manufacturing systems.• Delivered a broad range of IP legal support to ZURU’s business units, including implementing new service agreements and employment agreements for China and New Zealand entities, providing support for licensing and acquisitions, and filing copyright registrations in the U.S.• Supported legal and IP operations, including performing a comprehensive evaluation of IP management systems (IPMS) and selecting and implementing an IPMS (IPFolio) to replace ZURU’s previous system, implementing a data verification program for ZURU’s global IP portfolio, evaluation and selection of primary global outside patent counsel, and recruiting and hiring new legal team members.

Atlanta, Ga And Seattle, Wa

• Counseled large and mid-sized corporate clients in all aspects of patent law, including patent portfolio development, patent landscape analysis, ideation, patent portfolio assessments (defensive and offensive), and non-infringement, invalidity, and freedom to operate opinions.• Prepared and prosecuted patent applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in a wide variety of electrical, mechanical, and software technologies, including: mobile devices, storage devices and systems, networking, data center management, BIOS/EFI firmware, software, wireless communications, mechanical devices, turbines, augmented and virtual reality, deep neural network hardware, graphical user interfaces, optics, and other computer-related technologies.• Prepared claim charts and opinions related to the enforceability and infringement of patents in various technology areas.• Provided licensing support, including patent evaluation, targeted prosecution, and claim chart development.• Trained and oversaw attorneys, paralegals, and staff, including supervising the drafting and filing of patent applications, office action responses, and other patent office submissions.• Facilitated strategic patenting sessions that included senior engineers and business leaders and focused on various technologies, including cryptocurrency and robotics.• Representative clients include Microsoft, eBay, and American Megatrends, Inc. (AMI).

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

• Co-founder of clean-energy startup focusing on utilizing excess gas pressure to generate clean power and reduce emissions.

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

• Co-founder of clean heating and cooling startup focused on using vortex tubes as a clean alternative to traditional heating and cooling technologies.

Atlanta, Georgia

• Provided strategic intellectual property counseling services, including strategic patent portfolio development, forward patenting, patent portfolio analysis, pre-litigation and licensing support, intellectual property valuation, and non-infringement, invalidity, and freedom to operate opinions.• Prepared and prosecuted patent applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in the computer, electrical, and mechanical arts for primarily mid- and large-size companies.• Trained and oversaw attorneys, paralegals, and staff, including supervising the drafting and filing of patent applications, office action responses, and other patent office submissions.• Reviewed IP-related agreements and terms in business agreements, including assignments, licenses, collaboration agreements, confidentiality agreements, and non-disclosure agreements.• Representative clients include Microsoft, Amazon.com, Nintendo, and American Megatrends, Inc. (AMI).

• Founded and grew the law firm from one patent attorney to 15 patent attorneys and six patent legal assistants and staff.• Managed all aspects of the law firm for almost ten years, including docketing, billing, accounting, budgeting and financial management, strategic business development, client relations, marketing, human resources, and hiring, training, and supervision of the firm's patent attorneys, administrative assistants, and staff.• Worked with in-house counsel and business leadership to design and implement programs for protecting IP in the U.S. and worldwide, including the preparation and filing of more than 1000 patent applications resulting in more than 500 issued patents in the computer, electrical, and mechanical arts.• Provided litigation support to successfully defend complex large-scale patent litigation over computer system firmware.• Performed patent analysis projects, including: prior art searches, portfolio analysis, clearance, and patentability, non-infringement, and validity opinions.• Drafted non-infringement opinion and provided deposition testimony in patent infringement suit successfully defended by a FORTUNE 500 client.• Provided IP education to engineers, sales and marketing managers, and senior business leaders.• Performed IP due diligence for a range of strategic matters, including M&A transactions.• Led strategic patenting sessions that included senior engineers and business leaders and focused on various technologies, including augmented/virtual reality and digital rights management.• Negotiated the acquisition of the law firm by Lee & Hayes in 2014 and oversaw the integration of the firm into Lee & Hayes.• Representative clients include Microsoft, Amazon.com, American Megatrends, Inc. (AMI), Boeing, The Southern Company, AT&T, and Ericsson.• Hope Baldauff was acquired by Lee & Hayes in 2014 and became the firm’s Atlanta office. For more information on Lee & Hayes, please visit: www.leehayes.com.

Atlanta, Ga

• Served as Managing Partner of the firm’s Atlanta, Georgia office (2004-2005) and as the firm’s Hiring Partner (2003-2004).• Managed all aspects of the firm‘s Atlanta Office, including profitability, client development and retention, strategic growth, and attorney and staff training, professional development, and performance.• Prepared and prosecuted patents in the computer/electrical fields.• Advised clients on third-party matters, including the preparation of non-infringement and invalidity opinions.• Provided litigation support in complex large-scale semiconductor patent litigation.• Representative clients include Microsoft, Motorola, BellSouth (now AT&T), and American Megatrends, Inc. (AMI).

Seattle, Washington, United States

• Prepared and prosecuted domestic and international patent applications, with a primary focus on Internet-related technologies, application software, and other computer software and electrical technologies.• Counseled clients in all aspects of intellectual property law, including IP portfolio management, licensing, IP procurement, due diligence, and litigation matters.• Prepared non-infringement, invalidity, patentability, and clearance opinion letters.• Led the Patent Steering Committee at a mid-sized corporation.• Representative clients include Microsoft, InfoSpace, and Jones Soda.

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

• Prepared and prosecuted domestic and international patent applications in the computer and electrical arts.• Prepared and prosecuted trademark applications and performed trademark policing and enforcement, including Internet domain name matters.• Provided support for intellectual property litigation, including trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings, and copyright, trademark, patent, and trade secret litigation in federal court.• Counseled startup companies on IP strategy, including patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and related litigation.• Representative clients include Microsoft and BellSouth (now AT&T).• Jones & Askew was acquired by Kilpatrick Stockton in 2000.

Atlanta, Georgia

• Litigated labor and employment matters in federal and state courts, including written discovery, depositions, motion practice, summary judgment, pre-trial motions, and trial preparation.• Provided counseling and litigation support for non-competition matters.

Jd, Cum Laude, Law

B.S. Comp. E., Computer Engineering

Education record

Master Of Business Administration - Mba